Sean Hannity’s bizarre, unsupported and cruel smears of murdered DNC staffer Seth Rich proves again just how low Hannity is willing to go to try to rescue the falling fortunes of his beloved Donald Trump. It’s reminiscent of his hideous campaign against Terri Schiavo’s husband and his even more dangerous crusade on behalf of rancher Cliven Bundy’s armed insurrection against the federal government.

You may recall that last summer, Rich was shot and killed on the street in Washington, D.C. at about 4 AM. After Julian Assange implied that Rich was a source for the Wikileaks dump showing that the DNC discussed ways of torpedoing Bernie Sanders, Fox News started floating a conspiracy theory that Rich was murdered by a Clinton operative.

The conspiracy theory has been thoroughly debunked. In August, 2016, Slate reported:

Former CIA Director John Brennan testified on Tuesday that intelligence officials had found “contacts and interaction” between Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and agents for the Russian government.

“I’m aware of information and intelligence that revealed contacts and interactions between officials and U.S. persons involved in the Trump campaign that I was concerned about because of known Russian efforts on such individuals,” Brennan told members of the House Intelligence Committee.

“And it raised questions in my mind whether or not the Russians were able to gain the cooperation of those individuals,” he added. “I don’t know whether or not such collusion existed. I don’t know. But I know there was a sufficient basis of information to require investigation by the [FBI] to determine whether or not U.S. persons were actively conspiring, colluding with Russian officials.”

New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu gave a speech for the ages. A speech that will be taught for years to come.

A speech that put all that “The South will rise again” baloney in its proper dustbin.

He said what needed to be said:

The Confederacy was on the wrong side of history and humanity. It sought to tear apart our nation and subjugate our fellow Americans to slavery. This is the history we should never forget and one that we should never again put on a pedestal to be revered.

As a community, we must recognize the significance of removing New Orleans’ Confederate monuments. It is our acknowledgment that now is the time to take stock of, and then move past, a painful part of our history. Anything less would render generations of courageous struggle and soul-searching a truly lost cause.

Every so often I read a transcript of a Rush Limbaugh radio monologue, because Limbaugh is still, to much of heartland of America, a source of truth and a purveyor of wisdom. Today I read one titled “Democrats Walk Back Impeachment Talk Because They’re Scared to Death of What They’ve Created.” What I’ve learned from it is that the Dittoheads, if they accept what Limbaugh’s saying at face value, believe in a conspiracy so vast, and so bizarre, that it rivals birtherism, 9/11 trutherism, or the notion that the victims of Sandy Hook were “crisis actors.”

Here’s the gist of what Limbaugh said:

Last week — late last week, Thursday and Friday — there appears in various media stories about how one, two, and then three prominent Democrats expressed the need for the Democrat Party to start walking back all this talk of impeachment.

… There are people who have, over the course of the last three weeks, on the Democrat side, tiptoed into the water and said, “We haven’t any evidence.” Dianne Feinstein to Wolf Blitzer twice, for example. There was another Democrat on Grassley’s committee that said, “Yeah, no, we don’t have any evidence. We haven’t seen any evidence yet.” Former CIA director for Obama, Michael Morell, about two weeks ago was on MSNBC.

Joe Scarborough was blunt about the primary problem with the Trump White House that has laid the foundation for all the trouble that’s followed.

“I’ve spoken to so many people over the past week who have the same story as me, that every time you were told you can’t do this. they were like, ‘You know what? We’re real estate developers in Manhattan, we know — those people in Washington don’t know what they’re talking about and thank you for your warnings, but we’re going to do things different because we’re smarter than you. We’re going to turn Washington upside down,’ ” Scarborough said.

“Well, it ended up they weren’t smarter than everybody in Washington, D.C.

“In fact, they were by a margin of a thousand more stupid than everybody in Washington, D.C. because no president has been stupid enough to get in the trouble Donald Trump has gotten into in the first four months.

“So far from being brilliant and above everybody else that the president and people around the president felt they were, they are dumber than any lot that’s ever been inside the white house,” he said.

“It’s really sad,” Mika interjected.

Scarborough seems to think this won’t be allowed to go on indefinitely.

The Russian Usurper’s Anywhere But Home Tour continues! And as the world gets the hook ready to pull this mango-hued fool off the stage, we have some domestic links full of vitamins and minerals for your Tuesday morning reading pleasure!

Spocko’s Brain parses the official statement of a LA Sheriff following yet another child shooting, and notes something disturbing.

Web of Evil compares and contrasts the past to today. Spoiler: The Contrast is slim.

Since publishing my argument for impeachment here, I’ve heard from readers and others and decided to add a few observations and clarifications. I believe this addendum can be helpful, especially in light of recent developments, such as announcements by House Minority Leader Pelosi and other Congressional Democrats that Democrats should not rush to lead the charge for impeachment.

Some Congressional Democrats question whether there is a complete evidentiary case for impeachment - but perhaps they’re just adopting that posture for tactical reasons. Others seem concerned there isn’t a broadly shared public appetite for impeachment beyond core Democratic activists, though recent polling data suggest impeachment is more popular than not.